Hi! Given your party size, BF may not let you top and tail ...

My personal experience is to get loaded as quickly as possible then if you plan to eat go to the restaurant whilst you are still in port! Then get your heads down as fast as you can. It feels a very short crossing because the hour goes forward with you on your way to France, but it is still worth sleeping as you've got a long drive the next day - and you might have already travelled some way to get to Portsmouth.

I've ALWAYS reserved a cabin and never regretted it, especially if the crossing was rough or choppy! Reclining seats are not really restful enough for good sleep and whilst the lighting is dimmed it's not dark, and you can hear others snoring etc. Just my 2 cents...

We are dithering again and considering driving because either way involves a stop over on the way back. Need to do some serious number crunching.

Consider stopping at Etap Hotels or Formula 1 hotels - very simple and convenient with rooms sleeping up to 3 persons. Etap have a shower and wc in the room, F1 on the corridor - so bring a nightie! Also required - soap, bathplug and decent towel!

Hello
I am French and lived in Brittany before near Saint Malo
The best I think for you is travelling from Portsmouth to Caen
after take the Motorway (A84) to Rennes then Nantes and Bordeaux
you must drive 2 hours between Caen to Rennes on free and quiet motorways (A84) instead of 1 hour between Saint Malo and Rennes on dual carriage way, busy during the summer holidays
the best value for the hotel in the b and b hotel you can book a room on w w w . hotel-bb . com
I tried all the ways between Brittany and UK so if you have some question just ask me
Regards

kamdriver wrote:

The best I think for you is travelling from Portsmouth to Caen after take the Motorway (A84) to Rennes then Nantes and Bordeaux
you must drive 2 hours between Caen to Rennes on free and quiet motorways (A84) instead of 1 hour between Saint Malo and Rennes on dual carriage way, busy during the summer holidays
Regards

WE regularly drive down to a town the other side of the A10 from Bordeaux from Calais it takes 7-8 hours of motorway driving costing around €90 in tolls but if you are not bothered by taking a stop-over then it can actually work out cheaper than the cost of one of the longer crossings

Last time we did it in one hit, left at 4.00am from Paizy Le Tort and were home in Northampton by 4.30pm which included a one hour ferry crossing with Speedferries. Not sure its possible this time as we are staying in Sanguinet which is at least another couple of hours down the coast. Sanguinet is just less than an hour south of Bordeaux. So I think a stopover is probably the way to go

so why not doing the same way as before
northampton dover calais and bordeaux and stop on your way for a night
on some b and b hotel you can have a family room
go on w w w. hotel-bb .com to see they are good money for value and it is cheapper and better than sleeping in the ferry. the first time I went from luton to rennes I try brittany ferry on the night ferry but we couldn't sleep because of the noise of the engine

For information - hotels-bb.com are a chain similar to Formula1/Etap/Ibis etc found widely around France.

I am agree with you Alsacienne
but we must make a difference between all the hotel
etap hotel and formule 1 cheap but bad quality
ibis, novotel and hotel b and b average price and average quality
sofitel and mercure expensive and very good quality
can you confirm that Alsacienne?

I am agree with you Alsacienne
but we must make a difference between all the hotel
etap hotel and formule 1 cheap but bad quality

Sorry I disagree. Cheap and usually clean. Good value for what is offered as long as you remember that wc and shower facilities are down the corridor, and you will need to bring a plug for the washbasin, a decent sized towel and your own soap. Breakfast is simple and French - jam, bread, butter, coffee, tea, powdered hot choc and milk, sometimes synthetic orange juice. 1* hotels owned by the Accor chain. Breakfast costs extra but is reasonable and is served between 6 and 10 on a weekday or 7-10 on Sundays and bank holidays. No evening meal facilities though there is usually a vending machine for drinks and snacks in the lobby. They suit my needs regularly when travelling. No-frills basics useful for if you are on the move or out of your hotel all day sightseeing.

ibis,

2* hotel owned by the Accor group. More comfortably furnished with a larger room. Shower facilities en suite. Good breakfast buffet - costs extra and is often worth stopping for if you are on the move and have come from a cheaper hotel. Long opportunity to have something for breakfast - between 4am and midday. Evening meal facilities from a limited menu also available on site.

Comfortable low-key stay option in major resorts or cities or en route to elsewhere. Clean and suit my needs.

novotel

A 4* hotel from the Accor chain and certainly far more up market and pricey. Can offer family rooms sleeping up to 4 at reasonable prices depending on availability and certainly pricier than the others above. Usually has a smart lobby and bar, and in some cases its own swimming pool. Often used for conferences and business reservations. Restaurant facilities available.

and hotel b and b average price and average quality

I have seen these but never stayed in them. They seem to be situated well for those travelling by road. I have not seen any publicity that makes them exceptional in relation to the other chains of hotels including those mentioned above, and I have no particular enthusiasm to try them when the above chains satisfy my needs. However they will be an interesting alternative to add to my hotel experiences if I cannot use an F!/Etap/Ibis, and may certainly interest British visitors travelling in and through France.

I am somewhat intrigued by your definition of average price when comparing Novotels - pricey - Ibis - reasonable and BB hotels - as yet unknown.

I think that under 60€ per couple for an overnight is certainly a good price, and that is what leads me to F1/Etap and Ibis depending on the location.

sofitel and mercure expensive and very good quality

Mercure is a 3* hotel of the Accor chain and some Mercures are nudging on 4*. They are more comfortable than Ibis, though not always as comfortable or offering as many services as Novotels. They are oriented towards business travellers though some leisure travellers enjoy using them. They have restaurants and bars.

Sofitel are the luxury 4-5* arm of the Accor group and are found in city centres and resorts. They have bars, restaurants, lobbies, business centres and sometimes hairdressers, leisure centres and other specialist services such as arranging tours or excursions and car hire. They are very comfortable but families may prefer to spend less on accommodation and furnishings and more on other elements of their travel.

Each to his or her own. Do you have a business connection with B&B hotels?

Our stopover point is around Le Mans and the owners had suggested the bb site but the local hotel was fully booked. Currently have a bookin with ibis at €160 for two rooms and breakfast. There are 5 of us and so we need two rooms. This is at their flex+ rate so we have the option to cancel with no charge.

kamdriver wrote:

I am agree with you Alsacienne
but we must make a difference between all the hotel
etap hotel and formule 1 cheap but bad quality
ibis, novotel and hotel b and b average price and average quality
sofitel and mercure expensive and very good quality
can you confirm that Alsacienne?

I also disagree with your remark that Etap Hotels are bad quality. They certainly aren't luxurious but I have stayed in many throughout eastern France and have found them clean, the rooms sleep three and have ensuite facilities with soap and towels provided. They are great value the room cost usually being between €40-€50. The rooms are usually air conditioned which is great during the hot summer months as road noise can be a problem in many hotels if you have to open windows..

We travel on the Eurotunnel and manage to drive down to Charente Maritime in one day (about 7 hours with stops). On the way back we have a stop-over in Alencon at the Campanile as we have a dog and have to do the 24/48 hour thing for the pet passport!

My daughter and family did the Portsmouth to Caen trip and were very happy with this as there was entertainment for the kids on the boat during the day and they had seats on the way over during the night. The kids loved it but it did prove more expensive than our trip. I think more research is in order before you decide what to do. Good luck.

Yes but we will have already had a 2.5 hour drive from home to Dover, followed by 1 - 2 hour ferry trip depending on which one we go with. I am concerned that 9.5 - 10 hours might be a bit much, not just on us but on the kids as well.

kazd wrote:

Yes but we will have already had a 2.5 hour drive from home to Dover, followed by 1 - 2 hour ferry trip depending on which one we go with. I am concerned that 9.5 - 10 hours might be a bit much, not just on us but on the kids as well.

Hotel Burstin Folkestone for the stop over

We normally drag the caravan to folkestone for a stop over (we have a 250 miles drive to Dover) then we catch an early Train or ferry beforethe drive

Yes, sorry I forgot to mention we do stop in Kent (with friends) on the night before we leave for France as we too have a 2.5 hour journey (depending on the motorways) before we get to the ferry port/shuttle. We find that the 7 to 8 hour trip in one day is not too bad for two retirees, but you may find it difficult with children. We have to stop for the dog every so often and of course ourselves but can limit it to about 10 to 15 minutes.